


Stay

by dream_painter



Series: Critical Role Prompts [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Essek Angst, Loneliness, Lonely Essek Thelyss, M/M, Nightmares, based on a prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26363050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dream_painter/pseuds/dream_painter
Summary: Essek is a ghost haunting his own funeral. No one is there.
Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Series: Critical Role Prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915762
Comments: 6
Kudos: 56





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> First Work in this fandom and part of an ongoing collection of just small stuff running through my brain.  
> I tagged major character death but they are all alive? But Essek thinks he is dead for like 90% of this.  
> I am also not really happy with the ending, but meh.  
> I do not own Critical Role.  
> Enjoy and if you like something just leave a comment and I also am happy about kudos.

The sky was dark but it always was in Rosohna. The stars twinkled and shone onto the ground. The ground which had a grave on it. It read:  
“Essek”

Essek blinked and tried to focus his eyes, but the tombstone was still there. And there was only his name, not even his Den, no accomplishments no dates no nothing.  
As he looked down he saw that the grave was still open, and apparently empty.  
But who would have send him this vision while he was still alive. And how did they get inside his head?  
Essek shook his head and saw out of the corner of his eye a lonely figure pulling a cart. They appeared to be wearing the robes of a Luxon cleric and on the cart there was a coffin…  
Essk tried to float closer, but his gravitation magic didn’t work.  
Why wasn’t he floating? What had happened to him? With his hands shaking like leaves began Essek weaving his familiar spell in the air, trying to conjure his magic, his life’s work, his essence… but nothing happened. So he tried again.  
And again.  
And again.  
And again.  
And again.  
And –  
And bringing his hands closer he gasped.  
He could see the figure on the way to his grave through it.  
His hand was translucent.  
“What is happening?”, he asked but no answer came. He knew that should he die, he would not be returning. The Luxon had never liked him. So why would it grant him a return.  
The Cleric had reached the grave by now and was maneuvering the cart with the coffin in the right direction so that they could let the coffin slide into the grave.

But if this was his funeral, where were his family? Where were the Nein? And also his Den? He was present at the funeral of the last Shadowhand, and the Brightqueen herself had been there, so why was he alone?  
“Typical that I should have the job of burying a traitor. ”, that answered Esseks questions.  
His head searched for the names of the Nein on other tombstones, but found none and relief flooded his body. At least his friends had escaped.  
Or had been the ones bringing him in.  
He would not have resisted them. Maybe it had even helped them. Maybe him as a bartering tool had helped them.  
If it really had been so, he would be glad.  
But still… His funeral was empty, no mourners and instead of flowers being thrown on his coffin, by friends and family, there was a cleric who thew insults with every shovel of earth.

And sooner rather then later his body was buried in a grave with nothing but his name. The Cleric left and the wind picked up taking sand and small gravel against his mark on the world.  
Standing alone in a field with only his ghost to guard it.

And Night after Night the sandy storms eroded it’s name until it was only a ghost with no memory of self bound by a headstone.  
“Why am I here? Why won’t you let me move on!?”, it cried into the wind, which was so cold.  
It was bored. 

It had nothing but the occasional flashes of memories of a tree, storms, buttons and pastries. And his favorite colors bronze and blue and weirdly the smell of books.

Why would someone torment it with such meaningless – no not meaningless, please let him keep these – flashes?

They meant nothing to it – they meant everything to him, his friends. his family. his Nein. his Den!

It was alone – not alone, please wake up, Essek! – tasked with protecting this grave – wake UP!!

“Wake UP!!”, Essek’s eyes opened and he was greeted with the worried eyes of his husband. His bronze hair was out of it’s normal ponytail and his eyes were fearful.  
“What happen’d?”, that was strange… why was his voice so slurred?  
“You had a nightmare and weren’t breathing anymore! Essek what was the dream about!?”, Caleb’s hands cupped Essek’s face and he stared into his eyes.  
“I-I… I don’t want to talk about it.”, it wasn’t an answer, but Essek really did not want to revisit this hellish vision. A vision that might still come true.  
Caleb just sighed.  
“Okay. Ja. Just… do you want me to go?”  
And with the retreating hands, so also went the warmth away.  
“NO!”, Essek frantically grabbed for Caleb’s hands, “Please don’t. I do not want to be alone...”  
“Okay. Maybe you can tell me in the morning. Just cuddles for now, then?” Caleb asked while taking a still shaking Essek into his arms.  
“Cuddles. Don’t leave… ”, Essek murmured as he slipped back into far more pleasant dreams.  
Caleb stayed awake until the breath of his husband evened out and then followed him into better dreams.


End file.
